Decorative ceilings, such as traditional coffered ceilings, have been popular in buildings since early Roman times. Utilizing grids of supporting and non-supporting beams, coffers were used as a way to enhance the appearance of a heavily beamed ceiling. With deep supporting beams traveling in one direction, and non-supporting beams traveling perpendicular, architects of the past were able to form sunken boxes or “coffers” on the ceilings of residences, churches, and public buildings. To further decorate these ceilings, wood or plaster trim was added to these boxes or coffers, along with intricate carvings and paint finishes. These elaborate ceiling designs were formed by skilled artisans working many long hours to carve, apply and finish various sculptural effects from many different materials.
Although the look of decorative ceilings of various types are popular in today's more luxurious homes, hotels, and public buildings, the costs can be prohibitive. In the twenty first century, finding skilled artisans to recreate such details is difficult and costly. Also, if time is a factor, many projects cannot afford the additional weeks or months needed for the necessary labor.
In the past there have been some alternative modular or otherwise pre-manufactured decorative ceilings. One system utilized panels of stiffened fabric, such as canvas, with embossed three-dimensional design characteristics (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 407,604 to Morton). Another method was that of the so-called Victorian “tin ceiling” where shallow designs were stamped in metal tiles which were then nailed to the existing ceiling or the ceiling supports. (U.S. Pat. No. 741,593 to Ryan and Sagendorph). Although some of these methods are attractive, they do not properly reproduce aesthetic properties such as deep boxed recesses, heavy beam work, trim details and other desirable features. Moreover, they do not provide such features in a manner which is cost effective from both manufacturing and installation standpoints.
Another decorative ceiling system is a suspended ceiling. Suspended ceiling systems have enjoyed tremendous success in the commercial and residential environments due to their low cost, ease of installation, and versatility to adapt to most room configurations. Furthermore, suspended ceilings increase energy efficiency, improve acoustics, enhance aesthetic value, provide means to adjust ceiling location, and permit easy installation of various electrical fixtures, pipes, sprinkler systems, and duct work. Suspended ceilings utilize a grid system comprised of a series of horizontal runners with perpendicular runners joined at regularly spaced intervals to support generally rectangularly shaped panels typically with a planar visible surface, although some companies are offering embossed, coffered, or raised panel designs.
A common grid configuration is the so called inverted T-Bar that provides support for a panel as it is lowered down into the grid structure from above. It is common to suspend the grid system by a wire connected to a pre-existing ceiling or exposed framing member as a way to control the ceiling height. It is possible, however, to attach the grid directly to the ceiling or framing member with the understanding that there must be sufficient room to maneuver a panel onto the supporting grid from above.
A feature inherent in the T-Bar design is that the panels must be installed onto the grid system from above. This makes the installation of a suspended ceiling more time consuming and difficult. Furthermore, there must be sufficient room between the grid system and the pre-existing roof or exposed framing members to permit a panel to be placed on top of the grid structure and lowered into place. This may be particularly important and potentially problematic in rooms with limited height. Another feature inherent in the T-Bar grid is that the bottom of the “T” is readily visible as part of the ceiling design, a characteristic that many find undesirable in enhancing the aesthetic value of a room. Methods to reduce the obtrusive nature of this feature include coloring the visible portion to match the panel color, or covering the base of the T with a decorative adhesive that is more readily incorporated into the overall ceiling design. Moreover, suspended ceilings enjoy limited success when the panels have deep cavities. The ceiling height would be dramatically reduced due to the need for room above the panel necessary during installation. Also the grid system can usually only support a panel of a particular size, usually no larger than 24×48 inches.
In view of the above problems and drawbacks with custom on-site fabrication, embossed tiles and current suspended ceiling designs, it would be desirable to provide a modular ceiling panel system that utilizes individual decorative panels and a fastening system to achieve a desired decorative look while simultaneously achieving benefits related to low manufacturing and installation costs and increased ceiling height even with panels having deep recesses.